“We’re witnesses to a process of restoration,” President Russell M. Nelson stated in a recent interview. “Wait till next year. And then the next year. Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It’s going to be exciting.”[1] This sense of excitement seems to permeate the ministry of President Nelson and, by extension, the Church.

This issue of the Religious Educator captures on the interest generated by new programs within the Church as well as within Church education. The lead article, adapted from an address delivered by President Nelson, discusses the role of family within Heavenly Father’s plan for his children, including a charge for “disciples of the Lord [to] stand as defenders of marriage.”

Building on this charge, articles in this issue trace Joseph Smith’s growing understanding of the nature of eternal families, offer practical advice for how spouses can strengthen covenantal bonds, and provide insight into confronting the trials that invariably accompany family life.

In addition to these articles on marriage and family, this issue offers insight into the new Come, Follow Me curriculum being implemented Churchwide. Tad R. Callister, Sunday School General President, joins with Church curriculum developers to offer perspective on the development of a home-centered, Church-supported curriculum. Additionally, a portion of our website (https://rsc.byu.edu/sunday-school ) has been updated to reflect more than two hundred articles and chapters that align with the weekly lessons in the new curriculum.

These are merely some of the materials you will find in this issue of the Religious Educator. It is a thrilling time to be studying the gospel. We share in the Churchwide excitement to progress along the covenant path.

Scott C. Esplin

Editor in Chief

Notes

[1] Russell M. Nelson, cited in Sarah Jane Weaver, “From an Acorn to a Mighty Oak,” Church News, 11 November 2018, 15.